Coupling-releasing mechanism.



A. CHRISTIANSON. GOUPLING RELEASING MEGEANISM. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11, 1909.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911.

F IG. 11

FIG. 2

M T N 4. E v 5 W m |1 o 4 Zo/J v 1/ ..5...1 11...@ [f mw f e H.

- wvl-masses.`

Y'YVM @an THE mams PsrsRs co., wAsHlNGroN, D. c,

ANDREW CHRISTIANSON, OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD STEEL CAR COMPANY, OF IEITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVAN IA.

GOUPLINGr-RELEASING MECHANISM.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented npr. 1s, 1911.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW CHRISTIAN- soN, a resident of Butler, in the county of Butler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Coupler Releasing Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to mechanism for releasing car couplings, its obj ect being to provide a simple means for uncoupling the cars without passing under or between the same, together with mechanism for operating the same at any desired position on the car.

While the invention is applicable to all classes of car couplers, it has been especially designed for use in connection with swinging draft rigging, such, for example, as that found in the companion application filed by me of even date herewith, Serial No. 471,757. In that application the coupler and draft rigging are mounted to swing from a pivot point back of the end of the car, and by the present invention I am enabled to release the coupler by means of a handlever mounted on the car platform, no matter what may be the position of the swinging coupler.

The invention comprises the combination with a car coupler, of lever mechanism mounted back of the coupler head and adapted to release the coupling, and an operating rod extending backwardly from the point of mounting and connections therefrom to the hand lever for releasing the coupling.

It also comprises the combination with the swinging coupler of such lever mechanism mounted back of the coupler and swinging therewith, with an operating rod extending back toward the point of pivoting of the coupler a forwardly extending rod pivotally connected to said operating rod and a hand lever mounted in the end sill, or in like operative position, and connected to the forwardly extending rod for releasing the coupler.

It also comprises "other improvements as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of the car frame showing the invention as applied to a swinging coupler; Fig. 2 is aA section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an end view of the underframe showing the invention.

As above stated, the invention is illustrated in connection with the apparatus forming the subject matter of said application, Serial No. 471,757. As illustrated in said application and as shown in the present drawings, the center sills 1 are carried past the end sills EZ out to the platform end sill 3, a pivot casting 4 being mounted between the center sills, and from such pivot casting the center sills are flaring out to the platform end sill 3, leaving a space for the swinging of the draft gear. The apparatus illustrated in said application, Serial No. 471,757 and as shown in the present drawings comprises a main frame or casing 6 mounted at one end in the pivot casting 4 and carrying a buffer bar 7 and a coupler 8, the shafts of which parts are mounted to slide in the casing 6, together with suitable draft gear and springs, the same being indicated in dotted lines, and the construction being such that the buffer bar presses directly upon the draft gear 9, while the side coupler swings at the forward end upon a' guide 11, the platform end sill being slotted for the passage of the buffer to permit the buffer and coupler to swing with the car as it passes around curves. The above parts are simply described to illustrate the application of the present invention to a swinging buffer and draft rigging, but, as above stated, the invention may be employed with any draft rigging to which it is applicable.

The coupler S is illustrated as having a suitable releasing pin 12 by which its knuckle 13 lmay be released, such parts being intended to illustrate any suitable releasing mechanism. Supported back of the coupler head is a bearing 14 and in said bearing is any suitable arm or device l5 extending forward and under the coupler pin l2 so that upon the rocking of the same it will raise the coupler pin and so release the coupler, and connected in any suitable way to this swinging arm 15 is the backwardly extending rod 16 by which the releasing arm 15 is operated. In the preferred construction I form the releasing arm as a lever pivoted at 17, the rod 16 being connected thereto at 18,'

this being a very simple form of the apparatus for releasing the coupler. This rod 16 is connected to a lever 19 which is mounted in a suitable bearing 20, the lever 19 having connected to it the rod 21 which extends forward and is connected to the crank arm 22 at the base of the standard 23 mounted in the platform and sill and having the hand or operating lever 24C. The bracket or bearing 20 is secured to any suitable support, and where the invention is employed in connectionwith the swinging coupler mechanism it is preferably mounted on the underframe, such as on one of the car sills close to the pivotal point of the swinging casing, so that on the swinging of the coupling mechanism the rear end of the rod 16 will swing or pivot on the end of the lever 19 mounted in said bracket 20 and there is little or no m0- tion between the backwardly extending rod 16- and the forwardly extending rod 21. Of course, any suitable connection at this point may be made which allows of the slight swinging motionv between the parts where the lnvention is employed with swinging coupling mechanism.

In the use of the invention, where the cars are coupled together in the ordinary running of the train it is evident that the couplcr may be compressed or extended according to` the compression or tension strains brought upon it entirely independent of the releasing mechanism, the arm 15,-or whatever the releasing source may be,--being of such length as to operate whether the coupler be compressed or extended. When the cars are to be uncoupled it is only necessary to draw upon the backwardly extending rod 16 so as to lift the arm l5 and cause it to contact with and raise the coupler pin 12 a sufficient distance to release the knuckle 13 of the coupler. After the knuckle has so released and been drawn out of the coupler head the coupler pin 12 can drop into position for re-coupling, being entirely independent of the movement of the releasing lever or arm 15. The coupler releasing arm operates in the same manner whether the coupler is mounted to move or swing laterally, it only being required that the releasing arm be held in line with the coupler pin. When the invention is employed in connection with a laterally moving or swinging draft gear, as above described, the backwardly extending arm can be operated, no matter what the position of the coupler and draft rigging may be-whether in central position, as illustrated in the drawing, or at any point in the possible lateral movement or swing of the coupler, the connections being such that by drawing upon the hand lever 2Liso turning the standard 23 in the platform or other end sill, by means of the lever 22 drawing on the rod 21 and through the lever 19 and rod 16, the releasing arm 15- can be raised to raise the pin and so release the coupling. |The mechanism thus provides for the quick releasing of the coupler no matter what its position may be, either as-to compression, extension or lateral swing, overcoming any necessity of --the operator entering between the cars, and providing a simple and eflicient mechanism for the purpose.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a car coupler, of lever mechanism mounted back of the coupler head and adapted to release the coupling, and an operating rod extending backwardly from the releasing mechanism, a forwardly extending rod, a hand lever for operating the same and a lever connection bemounted in line with and back of the couplerv head and having an arm extended forward under the coupling pin and adapted to move laterally with the coupling, and an operating rod pivoted to said releasing mechanism andi adapted to move laterally therewith.

4. The combination with a laterally moving car coupler, ofi a frame in which it is mounted to move longitudinally, releasing mechanism mounted on said fra-me back of said head, and adapted to move laterally with the coupler, and an operating rod connected to said releasing mechanismfand extending backwardly from the point of mounting.

5. The combination with a car coupler, of a swing-ing frame in which it is mounted to move longitudinally, releasing mechanism mounted on said frame back of the coupler head, an operating rod connected to the releasing mechanism and extending backwardly from the point of mounting, a hand lever and connections from said rod to the hand lever.

6. The combination with a car coupler, and aswinging frame in which it is mounted to move longitudinally, of lever mechanism mounted on said swinging frame and adapted to release the coupler, an operating rod connected to said lever mechanism and `extending back therefrom to a pointV near to release the coupling, an operating rod Connected at its forward end to a hand lever connected to the lever mechanism and eX- mounted in the end sill. l0 tending baokwardly toward the pivotal In testimony whereof, I the said ANDREW point of said frame, a bracket or hearing CHRIsTIANsoN have hereunto set my hand.

supported on the underfran1e,alever mount- ANDREW CHRISTIANSON. ed on said bracket and connected to said Witnesses:

backwardly extending rod, and a forwardly ROBERT C. TOTTEN,

extending rod Connected to said lever and JOHN F. WILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

